Intercontinential funding and financing related to Africa-Europe Europe-Africa relations was at the heart of the panel I moderated at the Deconfining microconference in Madrid. While geopolitical and intercontinental relations are under substantial pressure, related funding ecosystems are not yet evolving fast enough to transform challenges into positive change. Ecosystems on the African AND the European continent need to be adapted. Some challenges are similar on both continents like the need for a substantial diversification of (public AND private) funding sources. Imbalances of power in financing ecosystems still concern mainly African partners. Representativeness in defining, implementing and reporting is an important step forward but certainly not enough for the establishment of equal level playing fields. I propose to go for this journey together by phasing- out step-by-step funding dependencies while establishing fully functioning intercontinental eco- systems of cooperation and exchange. Thanks for the valuable formal and informal exchanges ouafa belgacem, Antonia Blau, Eloisa Vaello Marco, Philina Wittke and to the Goethe- Institut Madrid for having organised this excellent encounter.